Incumbent Olivia Chow maintains a double-digit lead in the Toronto mayoral race, according to a new poll, which shows Brad Bradford in second place.
A new study from Liaison Strategies, conducted at the start of the Labour Day long weekend, puts Chow at 50 per cent among decided and leaning voters, with Bradford at 39 per cent and Chris Alexander in third at 11 per cent.
“The mayoral ballot is stable, but it has settled in a better place for Olivia Chow than for her challengers,” David Valentin, principal at Liaison, said in a statement.
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“The regional picture is still the key to the race. Chow leads downtown 60 per cent to 30 per cent, in North York 53 per cent to 36 per cent, and in Scarborough 51 per cent to 38 per cent. Bradford’s best region is Etobicoke, where he leads Chow 56 per cent to 33 per cent.”
The poll comes on the eve of Chow’s official campaign launch, although she has made her intention to run again public for months, while Bradford declared his plan to launch a campaign almost a year ago.
The Liaison study also shows residents are split on whether or not the city is heading in the right direction.
Forty-seven per cent said they thought the city was heading in the right direction, while 48 per cent said it was the wrong direction. Five per cent were unsure.
The same poll found 34 per cent want to see property tax frozen or reduced, even at the cost of cutting services.
Twenty per cent said they should increase at less than the rate of inflation.
The election will be held on Oct. 26.
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